The present invention relates generally to convertible roofs for automobile vehicles and more specifically to a device and method to attach a convertible roof cover to a vehicle support structure.
Vehicle soft tops or pliable convertible roofs, hereinafter referred to as flexible covers, are commonly supported using a plurality of cross-car elongated support members, or “roof bows”. Several component parts are normally required, including fasteners, to connect the flexible cover to the roof bows. Some designs locating the fasteners under an outer layer of the flexible cover permit the fasteners to be visible (i.e., as bumps or ridges) through the flexible cover from outside of the vehicle when the top is in its upright and stretched position. The disadvantage of these designs is both the detrimental effect to the flexible cover appearance and the potential for the fasteners to abrade the flexible cover material. Fasteners applied from the outside of the flexible cover potentially permit moisture entry adjacent to the fasteners and detract from the appearance of the flexible cover. Alternate roof bow and flexible cover attachment devices include snap fasteners with adjoining receiving fasteners, coupling devices to attach the flexible cover, and sealing strips added to the flexible cover. These additional components add to the complexity and cost of constructing a flexible cover for a vehicle and often detrimentally impact its appearance.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a convertible roof fabric attachment system for an automobile vehicle provides at least one cross-car elongated member having a first channel defining a fastener retention section, at least a second channel disposed adjacent to the first channel, and a fastener engaging at least one of the channels to hold a flexible cover. In a further aspect, the fastener includes a head and a retention portion, the retention portion engaging the second channel until the head reaches a fully recessed position within the first channel. In another aspect of the present invention, a flexible cover attachment system includes a flexible covering having at least an inner layer and an outer layer wherein the inner layer is secured to the cross-car elongated members such that the fastener head is separably positioned from the outer layer. In a further aspect of the present invention, a method to attach a flexible cover to a vehicle is provided. In still another aspect of the present invention, a method to construct a vehicle flexible cover is provided.
The fabric attachment system and methods of the present invention are advantageous over conventional flexible cover systems in that the present invention provides a positive method/device to ensure that the fasteners are in a fully recessed position within the cross-car elongated support members of the vehicle roof and to separably space the fasteners from an outer layer of the flexible cover. At least one and preferably a pair of parallel aligned channels arranged in open communication with each other are provided in each of the cross-car elongated roof members to receive the fasteners. These channels are sized to receive the fastening elements of the fasteners and to provide a seating surface for the fastener head and a portion of the inner liner of the flexible cover or an insert disposed beneath the outer layer of the flexible cover. The cross-car elongated members of the present invention are also adaptable to receive interior trim or headliner pieces. Features of the channels formed in the cross-car elongated members of the present invention prevent the fasteners from abutting and potentially abrading the material of the vehicle flexible cover.
By providing the one or more channels in the cross-car elongated members of the present invention, fastener location is not critical and can be adjusted as necessary to retain a contiguous roof profile. A washer or similar plate structure can also be added beneath the head of the fastener to increase the surface area of contact between the flexible cover and the cross-car elongated member. This advantageously decreases the potential for the fastener tearing through the material of the vehicle flexible cover. Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, taken into conjunction with the accompanying drawings.